They were supposed to revolutionise the way police were governed - and bring police closer to the public.

But the experiment of directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners may be over already.

Labour is planning to axe Police and Crime Commissioners, if elected, despite the misgivings of some Labour MPs and Commissioners themselves.

Liberal Democrats also want to abolish the post.

And even Conservatives, who came up with the idea in the first place, say they could potentially be replaced with regional directly-elected mayors, if local councils back the idea.

There are three Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in the North East - Vera Baird, PCC for Northumbria Police, Ron Hogg, PCC for Durham Constabulary and Barry Coppinger, PCC for Cleveland Police. They were elected in 2012 and all are Labour politicians.

PCCs were a Conservative idea, championed by Theresa May, the Home Secretary. She argued that police forces were unaccountable and slow to respond to public concerns.

At the time, police authorities were meant to hold police to account. These were committees involving local councillors, magistrates and other independent members, such as academics or church leaders.

But Mrs May believed that very few people knew what their local police authority did, how to contact it or even that it existed.

She looked to America, where sheriffs are usually elected and can be held directly accountable by the public.

PCCs don’t run police services. That’s the job of the Chief Constable, who is a professional copper. But they do scrutinise their local force, set its long-term goals and oversee its budget.

Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, Barry Coppinger

Labour always opposed the idea, warning that PCCs might clash with their Chief Constable. There was little sign of public enthusiasm either.

Turnout in the 2012 elections was very low - 16.8% in Northumbria, just 24.7% in Durham and 15.1% Cleveland, while nationally, turnout was just over 15%.

Labour and the Lib Dems will go in to the next general election, on May 7, promising to axe the posts. But not everyone agrees they have been a failure.

The three North East PCCs published a pamphlet highlighting their successes last year, in what looked like an attempt to convince the Labour leadership to keep the posts.

Northumbria PCC Vera Baird, former MP for Redcar who served as a minister in Gordon Brown’s Government, wrote: “The police are, for the first time, being overseen intrusively at command level by an elected figure who can challenge any tendency, in such a powerful organisation, to prefer institutional self-interest over popular need.”

They were backed by Labour’s Nick Brown, MP for Newcastle East and former Minister for the North East, in a Commons debate.

He told MPs: “All three PCCs in the North East of England are making an effective contribution to the role. Contemplating abolishing the role and reverting to the previous arrangements is premature.”

But despite this, the days of the PCC may be numbered.

Durham Police and Crime commissioner, Ron Hogg

What the parties say:

Labour would scrap PCCs, and replace them with new bodies similar to the old police authority but bringing together council leaders.

In a speech to the Labour conference, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The next Labour government will abolish PCCs and put the savings back into frontline policing instead.”

Liberal Democrats also want to replace PCCs.

Their party conference last year backed proposals to replace commissioners with “police boards” made up of councillors from across the force area.

Conservatives back PCCs. A Conservative spokesman said: “Only a Conservative Government would keep PCCs in place and they would continue to be directly elected and accountable to the people.”

But there are hints that Conservatives too are having second thoughts.

In Greater Manchester, the role of the PCC is to be handed to a new directly-elected mayor. A similar system has been in place in London from the start, where mayor Boris Johnson scrutinises the police.

Police minister Mike Penning said in the House of Commons: “PCCs have brought direct accountability and localism to policing in this country, and, as we have seen in London, incorporating the role of the PCC in mayoral devolution has worked really well.”

So the Conservative Party still backs PPCs - but believes mayors could also do the job.

UKIP believes PCCs are a good idea in theory, but the Government has failed to back them, while the Greens would abolish PCCs and let councils scrutinise policing.

What the PCCs say:

Northumbria PCC Vera Baird told the Sunday Sun: “We’ve achieved a great deal since being elected to office, from better scrutinising the work of police to bringing partner agencies together to better working towards building safer communities.

“What is clear is that we cannot return to the era of the ‘invisible’ police authorities and with the role of the PCC we have, for the first time, a single, democratically-accountable figure for making their police force accountable.

“Together with my fellow Labour commissioners, we are working closely with Yvette Cooper and her team to bring forward proposals which will ensure local people are in the driving seat when it comes to their local police service and community safety.”

Barry Coppinger, Cleveland PCC, said he would back a different system if it was better than the current one - but highlighted his achievements in the role, and warned against adopting a new system which involved spending more public money.

He said: “Since election I have worked with a whole range of agencies and organisations and have brought people together around the priorities that matter to the public - around improving policing; better support for victims; tackling offending and preventing reoffending; collaboration and partnership working; good industrial and community relations.”